Toy railroad cars



July 31, 1962 Filed Nov. 27, 1957 M. ZION TOY RAILROAD CARS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR MOSES Z /0/\/ ATTORNEY July 31, 1962 M. ZION TOY RAILROAD CARS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 27, 1957 rates 3,046,696 TOY RAILROAD CARS Moses Zion, Brooklyn, N.Y., assignor to The Lionel Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Nov. 27, 1957, Ser. No. 699,263

11 Claims. (Cl. 46218) This invention relates in general to toy railroad cars and is more particularly directed to a new and useful body construction of such cars.

In co-pending application Serial No. 539,760 filed October 11, 1955, now abandoned, for Toy Railroad Cars, there is disclosed an improved type of railroad car construction. This present application is a continuation-in part thereof in which particular attention is directed to the novel construction for assembling and securing the parts of the car together.

In accordance with the present invention, a novel body and truck securing strap is provided to effect quick assemblage and fastening or" two main body portions of the car, as well as to provide a wheel truck supporting means.

The present invention contemplates a car body construction according to which the body is composed of two main plastic members molded of a material preferably of suitable contrasting color. The bottom or floor of the car and the side walls are of one molding, and the roof and end panels are of a second molding made to fit the first. These two moldings are fitted together and fixed in this position by a novel strap securing device which includes means for pivotally supporting the wheel truck of the car.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved toy body construction.

A further object of this invention is to provide a new and useful device for rapidly securing the parts of the car in position and for supporting the car on a wheel truck.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawing and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the component parts of the car except for the wheel trucks;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the assembled car with the wheel trucks in position taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse, sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 2 and showing the doors closed;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary, enlarged sectional view showing the bottom outside portion of the car door assembly and taken on the line 3'3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary, horizontal, sectional view on the line 55 of FIGURE 2 showing the door in a closed position;

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 5 but showing the door in the open position;-

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary, horizontal, sectional view on the line 77 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 8--8 of FIGURE 5.

The floor and side wall forming member of the car body is indicated generally at Ill-the roof and car forming member is indicated generally at 11, and the doors at 12, While the drawings show these parts without surface ornamentation, it is to be understood that they will normally be provided with raised elements to resemble corresponding parts of regular railway box cars.

The plastic molding forming the element 10 has a bottom wall 13 extending the entire length and width of the car and two side walls 14, 14 extending the entire length of the car. In order to stiffen the ends of the molding it is provided with bridging or cross pieces 15, 15 and to stiffen the sides the molding is provided with vertical. ribs 16, 16. The sides 14 of the car body are-provided with rectangular openings 17, 17 whose width equals the width of the door 12. Above and below the openings 17 are stops displaced inwardly and indicated at 18 and 19. The stops 18 may be a 'part of the floor 13 of the car, and the stops 19 bridges above the door openings.

Adjacent the left side of the door opening, as shown in FIGURE 1 of the drawings, the side wall has outwardly extending bosses 2t 20 below and above the level of the door opening. A suitable distance to the right of the door opening the sides of the car have similar bosses 21, 21.

' Adjacent each of these bosses is a recess indicated at 22.

Leaf springs 23, 23 are provided with bent ends 24, 24

adapted to fit into the recesses 22. These springs are,

bowed, as indicated at 25 where'they pass above and below the door opening and come opposite the stops 18 and r9.

In assembling the above structure the door, preferabl made of plastic molding of contrasting color to that of the material used for thecar body, is inserted into the door opening against the stops. The springs are then inserted in position with their doubled ends 24 in the recesses 22 and the remainder of the springs overlie ridges 26, 26 formed in the car body between the door opening and the right hand recesses 22. The guide members 27 of L-shaped cross section, are then secured in place by means of the pins 28 so as to cover the springs 23. They engage the upper and lower edges of the door and the face of the door so that the door can then be slid back and forth. It is either held in the door opening by the springs or i held against the ridges 2-6. Stops 30 are provided to prevent sliding the door too far in either direction. With this arrangement the door is securely held in closed position by the springs and is not likely to rattle open or slide out of position while the car is in use.

The car roof and end forming member 11, made of plastic of contrasting color with respect to the member 10, has a roof-forming portion 40, and end portions 41, 41.

The inner edges 42 of the end members 41, 41 fit into grooves 43 in the ends of the member 10 and the edges 44 of the roof portion overlie the upper edges 45 of the sides of the car body to provide a tight finished appearance after assembling. With this construction, there will be no gap or opening to the interior which'is visible from the outside of the car body.

In accordance with the invention, the car roof and and forming member 11 is held in position to the floor and side wall member 10 by a novel clamping mechanism comprising, in this instance, two rigid sheet metal straps ing 54 to receive positioning studs, 55, 55 extending downwardly from the floor portion of the plastic molding 10. Each strap 50 is also provided with a circular opening 56 to receive a pivot pin 58 of a wheel truck T. The opposite end (from the upstanding element 51) of each strap 50 is cut away as at 60 to provide mating recesses for a self-tapping securing stud 62 which is threaded into a o drilled but untapped hole in the floor of the member 10 upon assembly.

In this instance, the body securing and truck mounting straps 50 are indicated as two separate pieces. These pieces are assembled to the car body after pivot pins 58 of the trucks T are first secured to a respective strap. The upstanding element 51 is then positioned in the notch portion 52 of the member 10 and the extending hook portion 51a is inserted in the opening 53 of the member 11. Each strap 50 is then positioned as shown by the dot-dash outline in FIGURE 2 with the two parts arranged to meet in the center of the car. The assemblages are thun swung up to the full line position, and the stud 62 is inserted through the mating recesses 60 and threaded to the bottom of the member 10.

In some instances it may be desirable to make the strap 50 in a single piece just long enough for the extending portions 51a to be sprung back to permit their insertion between the end Walls of the member 11 and into the slots 52. In other instances, each strap may be hinged at the center in the location of the mating recesses 60. In such instances the hook portions 51a will be passed through the hole 53 in the car end and the assemblages would then be swung up as before.

In accordance with the invention each of the straps are provided with an upwardly extending mound or mounting portion 66 upon which an end of the car body is positioned and carried. This provides for weight concentration slightly inboard of the wheel truck mountings.

Thus the invention provides a novel car construction including a securing strap having means for supporting the wheel truck and positioning and securing the frame members.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the invention principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. A toy comprising a car body with separable floor and end portions, a pair of securing straps each having one end secured to one of the car end portions and said straps having their adjacent ends in contact and secured to the car floor portion by means secured to their adjacent ends.

2. A toy car comprising a car body with separable floor and end portions, two straps having adjacent ends which meet under and are secured to the car floor and having opposite ends which are secured to the end portions of the car body to hold these portions in position on the floor portion.

3. A toy car body with separate floor and end portions, two straps having adjacent ends which meet under and are secured to the car floor and having opposite ends which are secured to the ends of said fiOOr portion and said end portions to position and hold these parts together, and a car wheel truck pivotally held to each of said straps.

4. In a toy car body in the form of two moldings, one molding having a channel shaped cross section in transverse plane and forming side walls and the floor of the car body, the other molding having a channel shaped cross section in longitudinal plane and forming end wall portions and a roof of the car body, and having an aperture in each of said end Wall forming portions, the improvement comprising strap means including a bottom portion comprising at least one elongated member extending along the length of and secured to the molding forming the side walls and said fioor and an end portion at each end extending upwardly into the apertures of the end wall forming portions whereby to secure the two moldings in position.

5. In a toy car body in the form of two moldings, one molding having a channel shaped cross section in transverse plane and forming side walls and the fioor of the car body, the other molding having a channel shaped cross section in longitudinal plane and forming end wall portions and a roof of the car body, and having an aperture in each of said end wall forming portions, the improvement comprising strap means comprising two straps having adjacent ends which meet under the car floor secured to the molding forming the side walls and said floor and having end portions extending upwardly into the apertures of the end wall forming portions whereby to secure the two moldings in position.

6. A toy car body according to claim 5 wherein said strap means includes means for pivotally securing a wheel car truck thereto.

7. A combination according to claim 5, wherein said strap means has raised bearing portions near each end upon which said molding forming the side walls and the floor is supported.

8. A car body according to claim 7, wherein said straps are notched at said adjacent mating ends and are secured to the floor of the car body by a bolt threaded to the floor thereof and extending into the notched portions.

9. A toy car formed with separable floor and end portions constructed to fit together in complementary mating fashion with the ends of the end portions abutting the respective ends of the floor portion, the improvement comprising resilient securing strap means including a central portion extending along the length of said floor portion and inwardly directed resilient upstanding portions at each end of said central portion spaced apart slightly less than the ends of said end portion which are sprung outwardly and released against each end portion to hold the car floor and end portions together.

10. The invention according to claim 9 in which the separable floor includes side walls thereto, and the end portions include a roof for fitting together in complementary mating fashion, the end Wall and roof portion being position over the floor and side wall portion with the end walls adjacent the respective ends of the floor portion, wherein said central portion is positioned beneath said fioor portion and wherein said end portions are in hooked engagement with the end walls of said end wall and roof portion for holding the portions in an assembled position.

11. The invention according to claim 9 wherein said central portion is substantially narrow in configuration and has at least one element for securing said central portion to the floor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 654,628 Harris July 31, 1900 765,415 Doebler July 19, 1904 875,519 Haberlin Dec. 31, 1907 1,849,877 Lyons et al Mar. 15, 1932 1,869,199 Koerber July 26, 1932 1,890,624 Shadish Dec. 13, 1932 1,908,942 Andes May 16, 1933 2,326,027 Godell Aug. 3, 1943 2,447,846 Ditchfield Aug. 24, 1948 2,580,804 Madland Jan. 1, 1952 2,610,442 Bonnano Sept. 16, 1952 2,712,711 Leyden July 12, 1955 2,779,133 Zion Jan. 29, 1957 

